Merry Christmas
by RandomWriter2011
Summary: If you kept an eye on my profile then you knew I was planning a Christmas story for HP and a New Years Eve one for Twilight. Harry is invited to a Slytherin Christmas party after receiving a gift from the parents of his former enemy. Will the events of the night change his life? Rated for teen related material - drinking (mainly champagne), cussing, but nothing worth an M rating.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

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It was Christmas break and only a few students had stayed. It was snowing outside and the charmed ceiling in the Great Hall reflected this as snow fell inside but disappeared before it touched any of the students, tables, or food. There was a huge Christmas Tree set up at one end of the Great Hall and fire places on each wall were lit to keep the students warm as they ate.

The boy looked around as he entered the Great Hall. He smiled at the decorations that the teachers had put up. Stockings with each of the students' names on them were hung on one of the fire places, decorations with their names on them were on the tree and gifts with their names were under the tree. He saw that only two teachers sat at the staff table, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall.

He looked at the student tables and saw that there were only three Ravenclaw students, five Hufflepuff students, four Gryffindors, and two Slytherins. He walked to his table and sat down. As he started to eat Ron sat down beside him.

"It's bloody cold outside, be sure to put your jacket on if you go out Harry."

Harry just chuckled at his friend and went back to eating; he probably walked Hermione out since she was leaving for home. The two friends ate in silence, leaving each to their own thoughts. After everyone had finished eating Professor McGonagall stood up and announced that they'd be opening presents from family in the Great Hall since presents given by the other students would be opened in the common rooms. She made her way to the huge tree and conjured up a comfy chair by the closest fire place.

All the student's watched as she levitated one present to her lap and read the name carefully.

"Hannah Abbott" McGonagall called out.

A girl from the Hufflepuff table stood and walked over; she took the present and walked back to her seat. Everyone watched as she opened it and pulled out a small red ruby pendant necklace. They watched her put it on then pick up a card and read it. Suddenly there were tears falling from her eyes and McGonagall walked over to her.

"Dear, are you alright?"

"I'm fine…my mum wrote in the card _'this necklace was your great grandmothers, it was her wish that you inherit it after her funeral. I'm sorry you couldn't attend; we'll send a DVD of it to you as soon as we can. Love you always, mom.'_ I didn't know my grandmother had passed…I miss her so much."

McGonagall hugged the girl tight and went back to her chair as Hannah's friends began to comfort her. She picked up the next package and sat back down.

"Ronald Weasley"

Ron stood and walked over. He thanked her and took the package back to his seat. He opened it and pulled out a thick sweater that his mum had made him. It had a giant R on the chest and Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

"Shut up" was all Ron said as he pulled it on and smiled.

This continued until all the packages had been given out. The students were allowed to take their stockings and gifts back to their common rooms and open the rest of the gifts there. Ron and Harry decided to go through their stockings in their bed first.

Ron dumped his onto the bed and almost grinned when he saw all the stuff. There were Chocolate Frogs, Every Flavor Beans, Canary Creams, Weasleys' Wildfire Wiz-Bangs, and muggle Bubblegum and M&M's. He immediately started going through everything and put his pile in his nightstand drawer.

Harry dumped his out and saw that he had the same things as Ron and chuckled. He started eating his M&M's when Ron pointed to a small box that had been in Harry's stocking. Harry put the chocolate candy down and picked up the box. It was wrapped in black paper and tied with silver ribbon. He opened it carefully and saw a silver snake pendent, the eyes were emerald stones. He allowed his hand to trace it slowly and found himself smiling. A small card inside the box told him it had come from Draco's parents as a thank you for saving their son from the fiendfyre.

"Are you sure it's not cursed? Or a Port Key? Or something?"

Harry nodded, he had already secretly checked it for all possibilities as soon as he opened it. It was just an ordinary necklace. He walked to his bed and set it on his nightstand and then gathered up his candy and stuff, put it back in his stocking and laid it on his pillow. They went out to the Common Room and sat down on the rug in front of the tree. The rest of the Gryffindors had already opened their gifts from other students and had retreated back to their bedrooms. Harry pulled one out and looked at it.

"This one's yours from…it's just signed "Random Hufflepuff' "

Ron took the package and opened it, inside the box there were several friendship bracelets, a few Hufflepuff shirts, and an invitation to a party in the Hufflepuff common room. Ron picked the next package and handed it to Harry. It was the same as Ron's, both from a random Hufflepuff.

They continued until there was only one box left. Harry pulled it out and froze as he saw the colors of the paper. Ron froze too. They both stared at the box, neither one knowing if they should open it or not. Harry finally looked at Ron.

"I have to…" His voice was shaking from the fear, worry, and confusion.

Ron nodded. Harry began to slowly untie the silver and green ribbon that was around the box. He moved it to the side and picked at the tape carefully. He then began to slowly unwrap the black paper from the box as if it were a bomb. Once the paper was off and laying to the side, Harry carefully opened the brown cardboard box and looked inside. He saw only a few items. He pulled out two sets of pajamas, one in black silk and one in silver silk, a wand case with a silver snake with emerald eyes engraved on the bottom of the front, a black scarf with an elegant green design and green H embroderied onto one end and a green P on the other end, a matching tobogin, a pair of dark denim jeans, and a dark green shirt. Harry looked at the items carefully, secretly inspecting them, as he laid them beside him. He looked into the box and saw a black card.

Harry picked up the card and flipped it over. He froze as he read the few words that were written there.

_Harry Potter,_

_You are invited to attend a Christmas party in the Slytherin Common Room tonight. It starts at ten thirty so don't be late. The password is below, or you can simply show this card to the painting. You are the only Gryffindor invited, and are invited by Draco Malfoy as a special guest. We sincerely hope you come and have a great time with us. _

There was no name but he could only figure that it was written by either Crabbe or Goyle. How convenient. Harry and Ron gathered up their gifts and cleaned up the paper and ribbon. They returned to their room and began putting their stuff away. They walked back to the Great Hall for dinner and returned to their room. Harry talked it over with Ron and was surprised when his friend insisted that he go. Harry showered at ten then decided to dress in the dark green shirt and dark denim pants that he had received. He pulled on his black jacket and put on his matching black socks and shoes. He made sure to brush his hair and looked at Ron.

"I guess I'll see you when I get in."

Ron nodded and Harry walked out, the card in his pocket. As he walked to the Slytherin dungeons he couldn't help but wonder why he had been invited and why he was a special guest of Draco's. Soon he found himself standing in front of the painting. There was no going back now…he was here.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

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Harry stood on the walkway just inside the door. He looked down at the Slytherin Common Room below and saw everyone was dressed up, they each had a glass of some drink, and they were talking. There was soft music playing, it sounded like classical. This was definitely not the kind of party he was used to, but the decorations did look nice. Silver garland adorned the walls around the area, the tree was white with green and black streamers through it and small delicate ornaments, the fireplace was burning and there was green and silver garland around the edge of it. The sitting area had been arranged so that everyone was in comfortable range of the fire place but not close to anyone else.

"Don't just stand there, come and have some Champagne and mingle."

Harry almost jumped at the unexpected voice behind him. He turned and saw Pansy standing there with a smile. She was in a black silk dress that went a little ways past her knees, matching heels, a black necklace with silver and green gems in it adorned her neck and she wore matching earrings. Around her shoulders was a black shawl with silver flakes in it and black elegant gloves stretched up to her elbows. Her hair was fixed up in an elegant way. Harry smiled and followed her down the stairs to the Common Room.

Everyone nodded at him and welcomed him with a smile but no one tried to attack him, which he thought was weird. He followed Pansy to a table where she picked up a glass of Champagne and handed him one. He watched her take a sip and he did the same.

"Draco will be here momentarily, make yourself comfortable by the fire if you don't wish to mingle. You're welcome to stay close to me if you wish."

Harry nodded and followed her around, allowing himself to be introduced to the Slytherins and shaking their hands. There were a lot more here than he had seen in the Great Hall, apparently they had been here decorating and getting ready the whole day. He shook hands as he introduced himself to them and soon found himself laughing with them and talking easily.

Everything got quiet after a while and they all turned to the stairs as Draco appeared at the top. He was in black pants, black shoes, a black jacket, dark blue shirt and black tie. His hair had been brushed neatly down and his bangs were brushed to the side. He looked every bit as rich as he was.

"Good evening my friends. On this, the eve of Christmas, I welcome you all to this celebration. Tonight is a night for dancing, for laughing, for enjoyment. Tonight is a night to be with family, however, since we cannot be home with our families this year let us rejoice together and enjoy each other's company. So drink my friends. Relax. Enjoy the party."

Harry had never heard Malfoy's voice so calm, so peaceful…so…entrancing. He realized Malfoy had stared right at him as he said that last line. Now he seemed frozen by some unknown emotion. Malfoy descended the stairs and took a glass of Champagne from the table and sipped it as he casually walked up to Harry.

"I'm glad you could make it. I wanted to have a private chat with you, but first I want you to enjoy yourself here. I have told them all that if they so much as cast an evil glance your way or even thought about hurting you that I would have their heads on a silver platter. You're safe here Potter. Enjoy yourself. We'll talk in a little while."

Harry didn't know what to say. Malfoy's voice was still soft but now it had an edge to it. Harry felt like he couldn't breathe or even move. Finally Malfoy turned his eyes from Harry's and walked over to Pansy and started talking with them. Harry walked to the fireplace after managing to get his legs moving again and just stared at it while he sipped the Champagne. He was thinking about what Malfoy had said…he had threatened his house mates if they tried to harm him. Why had he done that? Was it because he had saved his life? Well, a lot has changed since the death of Voldemort so maybe Draco had become one of the good wizards now. He didn't know, but he was determined he would find out.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

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Harry and Draco were sitting on one of the leather couches facing the fire. Draco sat at one end and Harry sat at the other so there was enough space between them to fit two more people. The rest had either gone to bed or gone to the main party in the Great Hall. Neither of them said a word, they just stared at the fire. Harry found himself thinking about what Malfoy was going to say. Harry decided to take a chance and glanced at Draco out of the corner of his eye so that his bangs hid the fact that he was looking. The fire coated the Slytherin's skin in a beautiful golden glow and made his normally steel grey eyes look like a snow-covered field under the red and gold rays of the setting sun. I didn't know how long I sat there looking at his hair, trying to decide what color I'd call it under the light of the fireplace, but when I moved my eyes back to his face I noticed he was looking at me. My bangs were still covering my eyes so I knew he didn't know I was looking at him.

We sat there like that for a while longer before he turned his attention back to the fire place. The crackle of the fireplace was the only sound in the room. I didn't know why I was nervous around Malfoy now, especially since I had been calm around him during the party. The way he had looked at me just now…it made me feel like he wanted to do something…I couldn't put my finger on what that look was…but it wasn't hatred and it wasn't gratitude. I suddenly felt my cheeks get warm as a new possibility entered my mind. Could it be that…he wanted to…kiss me? No, that couldn't be it…he's Draco Malfoy…we're enemies…or were anyways. I had no clue what we were anymore. I sighed softly to myself but noticed he'd turned his head to look at me anyways.

"I wanted to thank you personally for saving my life…from that horrible fire as well as from the death eaters. I also wanted to thank you for the beautiful ceremony you lead when all the fallen students were laid to rest after the war. One more thing…I wanted to thank you for the kind words you said about the Slytherins…even when you didn't have to. I owe you for that Potter…and I also owe you for keeping me and my family from going to Azkaban…thank you."

Harry was stunned. Draco never spoke like that…he never spoke with such kindness and in such a soft and honest voice. He also never thanked anyone for anything. Had the war really changed him that much? Harry couldn't help but look at the boy beside him. As their eyes locked it felt like all the words had escaped Harry's mind. He couldn't think of anything.

"You're welcome." Was all he could manage to say after a short time.

Draco gave him a slight smile and turned his attention back to the fireplace. Harry did the same, only now his mind was racing a million miles a minute. His heart felt like it was beating too fast. He had no idea what was going on with him or why he felt like he wanted to sit closer to the Slytherin. Neither of them noticed the two up on the walk way watching them.

"I can't believe he hasn't made a move yet. What is he waiting for?" Pansy said in an irritated tone.

She had known for quite a while that her blond friend had a crush on a certain Gryffindor. When he said he was going to invite Harry to the party as a special guest, she thought he was finally going to man up and tell Potter how he felt. Now was his chance, the two of them were alone, in front of a blazing fireplace, and neither of them could stop glancing at the other. It was the perfect time to tell Harry but Draco was blowing his chance! She almost growled as she began drumming her fingers on the railing.

"Calm down Pansy, I'm sure he'll tell him soon. It's not exactly easy to tell someone you like them when you've been fighting each other pretty much every school year." Zabini said as he stood beside her.

"Shut up Blaise…He doesn't have the courage yet! I'm going to play a joke on them so find some way to get them both to head to Draco's room. You two do share the same room." Pansy said as she walked towards Draco's bedroom.

Blaise sighed. Pansy was determined to get them together and he knew that it was useless to argue with her when she was like this. So he settled for watching the two former enemies steal glances at each other while trying to come up with a way to get them into the same room like she had told him to do.

Finally he had an idea. He walked down the stairs and stopped just behind Draco.

"I hate to interrupt you two but I just thought I'd let y'all know that it's getting rather late. It's forbidden to walk the halls after curfew so it'd probably be a good idea if Harry stayed in our room tonight. I could make conjure up a third bed if you'd like. Or I could sleep on the couch and let him take my bed."

"He can sleep with me in my bed Blaise. It's big enough to accomadate two people and both of them still have room to move without kicking or touching the other person."

"Draco…I couldn't…"

Harry started to protest but one look from Draco told him that the blond wasn't having any of it. He was going to share the blonds bed tonight and he couldn't refuse. So he shut his mouth and went back to staring at the fire.

"I'll go take my bath now so you can have yours when you're ready." Blaise walked back up the steps and towards his and Draco's room.

Pansy put her hand on his arm and pointed to the bottom of the doorway. Blaise looked and chuckled. He nodded and stepped into the room. He walked to the bathroom and quickly took a shower, changed into his pajamas and closed the curtains around his bed. He placed a silencing charm on the curtains and promptly fell asleep. He knew Pansy would find a way to record everything and show him in the morning.

He just hoped that Draco wouldn't be too mad at the two of them when this was over.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much.**

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Harry followed Draco up the stairs. Pansy was around the corner filming from her bedroom door. Draco stopped by the door and nodded to Harry to go in first, he wanted to give the Gryffindor time to get used to the room before he entered himself.

Harry opened the door and almost smiled at the bedroom. There were two four-poster beds, both with black curtains that had silver trim. The ones on Draco's bed were pulled back and Harry could see the dark green blanket and matching pillows. The blanket looked as if it was made out of velvet or fleece and the pillows looked to be silk. There was a fire place on the wall opposite the door and a door, that he presumed to be a bathroom, was on the left of the fireplace. There were two wardrobes, one beside each bed, and two night tables, also beside each bed.

Harry took a step forward but quickly found himself falling to the ground after his foot had caught on a thin cord stretched across the bottom of the doorway. Draco's hand immediately shot out and grabbed the Gryffindor's arm and pulled him up too quickly. Harry soon found himself pulled tight to the Slytherin, whose arms were now around Potter's shoulders. Draco held Harry as tight as he could to himself without realizing what he was doing. Harry hid his face in Draco's shoulder to hide the fact that he was blushing.

Pansy smiled as she watched them, her camera recording everything. Draco leaned his head back to take a deep breath and try to get his thoughts and feelings under control. When he opened his eyes he saw a single strand of Mistletoe hanging there and silently groaned. He loosened his grip on Harry and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"I pray you don't hate my friends for this, but it seems as if they've planned this all along."

Harry looked at him with a confused look on his face. Draco almost chuckled at how adorable that look made the Gryffindor. He moved a hand and pointed up at the Mistletoe; Harry followed the pointing finger and gulped. This was not what he was expecting, he didn't even know how he felt about Malfoy yet, what if this wasn't the right thing to do?

Draco gently took Harrys chin in between his first finger and thumb. He gently and slowly turned Harry's face back to him and looked at him. They locked their eyes onto each other's and neither of them felt like they could move. They were both captured in the others intense look. Harry began to let his eyes roam Draco's features, from his ears to his slightly pointed chin, up to the full lips, up to the high cheekbones and to the aristocratic nose that seemed to look so gorgeous on that face. His eyes finally traced that nose up to the eyes that seemed to be doing the same, memorizing and exploring Harry's features as well.

Draco watched as Harry gulped, obviously trying to swallow down his nervousness. Draco lifted his hand to Harry's cheek and stroked it lightly, this made the boy blush even brighter and that made Draco smile. He had been dreaming of this moment for a long time and had to remember to thank Pansy when he saw her.

Draco stopped rubbing Harry's cheek and placed his hand there lightly. He looked at the boy before smiling a bit.

"Close your eyes Potter."

Draco was slightly surprised when the Gryffindor nodded and closed his eyes. Draco took a deep breath to steady his nerves before he leaned down and, ever-so-gently, placed his lips against Potters. He kissed him gently and was surprised when Potter began to kiss him back.

Harry didn't know why his body was reacting this way to the kiss, it felt like every cell and molecule in his body was on fire. He felt his hands sliding around Malfoy's body and moving up until he was gripping the boy's shoulders from the back. He felt his body moving closer to Malfoys. He felt his knees getting weaker by the second and was grateful when the blond seemed to realize this. He felt one of Malfoys arms sliding around his lower back to keep him on his feet and pressed to him while the other moved to tangle itself in the Gryffindor's hair to keep his head where it was.

They both had their eyes closed now and had begun kissing each other more. Draco slid his tongue out and licked Potter's lower lip as if asking for permission, which Harry granted him eagerly. Harry moaned softly as he felt Malfoy's tongue enter his mouth and begin exploring it. They pulled each other tighter as their tongues fought for dominance before Harry slid his tongue against Malfoys and followed it into the blond's mouth. He began to explore Malfoys mouth as the blond had done him, earning a small moan from the blond in return. The battle for dominance began anew inside Malfoys mouth.

A moment later the need to breath took hold and the two separated slowly, keeping their arms around the other. Harry rested his forehead against Draco's as they both tried to get their breathing under control. They looked at each other for a minute, both of them blushing now, and neither of them wanting to break the silence. Draco was the first to speak and his voice was so filled with need, want, and lust that it made Harry's knees weak.

"Perhaps we should continue this in my bed. Preferably with a silence charm placed on the curtains."

Harry couldn't do anything but nod before he attacked the Slytherins lips again with force. Draco slid one arm around Harry's shoulders and the other under the boy's knees. He lifted him effortlessly and kicked the door shut with his foot. He didn't break the kiss as he walked to his bed and laid Potter down on the bed. He closed the curtains and placed a silencing spell on them, only, of course, after using a locking spell on the door that no one would be able to unlock. Draco turned back to Harry and gave a mischievous grin. Tonight neither of them would be sleeping. Harry returned the grin, obviously thinking the same things as Draco was.

Draco pounced and Harry wrapped his arms tight around the boy's shoulders as their mouths found the others and another round of deep, passion filled, lustful kissing began. Tonight would definitely change everything between them, and neither one was afraid of that change. Instead, they both welcomed it like a warm fire on a cold December night.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much. I had originally planned to have this story finished in five chapters but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. I'm not sure how many chapters there will be. **

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Harry woke up the next morning and smiled slightly as the events of the previous night filled his mind; he sat up and pulled the blankets over him. He looked at Draco's peaceful sleeping form and smiled. He brushed some of the Slytherin's hair away from his eyes before he gently traced the jaw bone. He decided it was time for a shower and quickly got up. He did a quick cleaning spell before grabbing his clothes and leaving the curtains around the bed; he made sure to close them back and went to shower.

He washed his hair and quickly washed his body. He stood there a while and let the water run down his back as he reflected on the night before. Draco's lips had awakened a part of him that he hadn't even been aware of. The magic those wonderful lips had worked on his lower region had him gripping himself. He was thankful he was in the shower; the water washed away all evidence of what he had just done.

He stepped out of the shower and dried off quickly before getting dressed in his clothes from last night. He walked to the mirror and conjured up his favorite hairbrush and quickly set to trying to tame his unruly hair. After getting it to a semi-normal style he sent his hairbrush back and walked out. He peeked in Draco's curtains and smiled when he saw the blond still sleeping peacefully. There was no doubt in his mind that he was in love with the Slytherin. He closed the curtain again and left the bedroom.

He was about to head straight for the door when he heard giggling and laughing coming from a door that was marked Pansy Parkinson. He poked his head in and saw Pansy and Blaise huddled up on the floor watching something. His curiosity spiked and he knocked gently on the door. They both jumped and turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry if I'm intruding…I heard you two laughing and just couldn't resist."

"Oh Harry, it's alright. I…kind of recorded this last night and…well…uhm…"

Harry noticed how the girls face turned seven different shades of red before settling on a very nice dark tomato color.

"Ooh please don't let Draco get mad! I knew he wanted to tell you but wasn't ready yet so I…I kind of set up the whole cord across the door thing…please please don't be angry!"

He wanted to be angry at her; she had deliberately set that up so that they would do that. He knew he should be furious and yell at her or something, but for some reason he didn't. He just stared at her.

"We'll discuss whether we should be angry with you or not…after you show us what you recorded."

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice. He turned and saw Draco leaning against the door frame, his hair was unbrushed and he was only wearing black silk shorts and black socks. His arms were crossed loosely over his chest and he was giving Pansy a look that said she had better show him.

She hesitantly turned on the video and moved so the two boys could see. The video started with her talking about her intentions and how she was hoping that this would tell Harry everything Draco had been too nervous to say. It then showed her setting up the Mistletoe and stretching the cord across the door frame. Then they saw her tap Blaise's shoulder as he was about to go in and point to the cord so he didn't trip. The two boys then watched themselves walk up the stairs and into the room where Harry tripped over the cord and Draco had pulled him back before he could fall. They watched as they stared intently at each other before the kissing started.

Harry thought it was over when the door slammed shut but Draco tapped his arm and pointed back to the video. They continued to watch as Pansy approached the bed with the camera and captured everything that had happened the night before by placing the camera inside the sound proof curtains. She had taken it out after they had fallen asleep and had gone back to her room and turned it off. Harry looked at Draco and he was glaring at Pansy.

Harry suddenly forgot that Pansy and Blaise were watching as he reached up to run his fingers through the unruly blond hair. He smiled as Draco turned and locked his eyes with Harrys. He leaned up and captured the blond Slytherin's lips in his and kissed him just as he had done the night before. He smiled against the lips as he felt the arms wrap around him. He wrapped his around Draco's shoulders and pressed himself tighter against the blond.

"I think it's good that she recorded it…otherwise I might have felt like it was all a perfect dream."

Harry said softly as he played with Draco's hair. Draco let out a soft chuckle and trailed his fingers up and down Harry's spine slowly.

"I agree."

Harry smiled and kissed Draco one last time before he turned.

"I better go, I promised to meet Ron for breakfast."

He looked at Draco who just smiled and nodded. Harry smiled and walked out of the dungeons. He walked to the Great Hall and found Ron sitting at the table, happily eating everything in sight. The red head nearly jumped as Harry sat down beside him.

"Blimey Harry, I thought old snake breath had killed you or something. Where have you been?"

"I went to the Slytherin Christmas party remember?"

"Yeah but I thought you were coming back."

"Ron, it was after four in the morning when the party finally came to an end, I couldn't go wandering around at that time of night. I spent the night with Draco."

"Spent the night with Draco? Like…on the couch with him in his room?"

Neither of them noticed Snape watching them with a curious gaze. Harry shook his head and whispered to Ron. The boy began coughing and choking and Harry began patting his back as hard as he could.

"You two did what?!"

Ron all but yelled and every head turned towards their table.

"Ron…not here."

Harry tried to get the boy to calm down but he wasn't. He wasn't angry or upset; Harry knew his best friend was just surprised by all this.

"You had sex with Malfoy?!"

Draco chose that moment to enter the Great Hall and looked at Harry with one of his fine eyebrows arched. Harry turned bright red and tried to hide his face. Snape looked like he had just witnessed Sylvester finally getting that little yellow bird once and for all. There was no hiding his grin. He had known for a long time that Draco fancied the Boy-who-lived so this was no surprise.

Draco walked over to where the two Gryffindors were sitting, one of them with his face buried very deeply into his hands.

"Good morning Weasel. I trust you slept well?"

Harry looked up at the unexpected voice and blushed even brighter now. Draco caught the blushing Gryffindor's chin before he could hide his eyes again and gave him a very deep kiss right there in the middle of the Great Hall, in front of everyone in the Great Hall, including his god father.

"I have got to owl Hermione!"

Ron quickly snapped a picture and got it developed before racing off to the common room to write a letter for his owl to deliver.

"You are evil…"

That was all Harry could think to say and the Slytherin just chuckled and kissed him again before going to his own table. Harry promptly slammed his head into his arms again and groaned. Draco Malfoy was sure to be the death of him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I do not own this franchise. I do not own these characters. I do not own anything created by J.K. I do, however, own the plot of this fic. It was previously a one-shot titled Despair Give Way to Happiness but I decided that it needed more elaboration so I decided to split it up into different chapters and give each more elaboration. Hope this doesn't suck too much. This is the final chapter. Memories are in Italic.**

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_They had graduated the year before. It was no surprise that Hermione had been the Valedictorian and gave a beautiful and inspiring speech to all of the graduating class. It was also not a surprise that Draco had been the Salutatorian. Harry had smiled and once the diplomas had been given out, the ceremony was over, and all the families had taken pictures with the four of them they had all headed back to the Great Hall for the final feast. _

_Everyone had been surprisingly accepting of Harry and Draco's new relationship and the boys had even been allowed to wander the halls at night, as long as they were going to each other's bedroom's and nowhere else. _

_That had been last year. During the summer their love had blossomed into something truly amazing and beautiful. Then came that fateful day close to the end of summer. Professor McGonagall had owled both Harry and Draco, asking them to return to Hogwarts as teachers. They were both very surprised and, having only graduated a year before, they wondered why they were asked to be teachers. They went to a meeting with McGonagall and asked her. She had told them that she felt the students would be able to relate better to teachers that had just graduated not that long ago. _

_They argued with her for three hours but, when it became clear she was not giving up, they had agreed._

Now, as Harry sat looking out over the students happily chatting and eating, he felt this was exactly where his life was meant to be. Whether he was a student or a teacher, it didn't matter. He belonged here, at this castle, and he would stay here until his last day of life.

_He had taken over Defense Against the Dark Arts and Draco had taken over Potions. They shared a single bedroom, since they made it perfectly clear to McGonagall that they would not be separated, and their offices were right beside each other's. They often worked together on grading assignments and setting assignments that worked with each other's. McGonagall had agreed to let them hold joint classes at least once a month and only on a weekend. This was an attempt to get the students to learn how some potions helped with other subjects. Draco had even begun experimenting with whether or not a potion could be used to enhance certain objects such as a sword or muggle weapon like a gun. _

_The two went on dates at least every other weekend and often times had to deduct points from houses because the students were wanting to know extremely personal questions. Things were looking up for the couple and one student had even accidentally walked in on them while they were making out on Harry's desk. She had said she wouldn't tell anyone and left shortly after they helped her with her work. _

It had been several weeks since they started here but Harry thought something was going on. The last date they had been on was about a week ago and Draco hadn't even looked at him since then. They had stopped speaking and he was beginning to wonder if Draco had started to grow bored with him. Even now, as the students sat eating Harry's thoughts were on the Blond.

Harry looked at the chair beside him where Draco normally sat but it was empty. He sighed softly and let his head lean against his fist. He wasn't even hungry anymore; he couldn't concentrate on eating when Draco was ignoring him so much. Why did he suddenly hate Harry so much?

Harry was sitting at his desk grading papers when Draco walked in. He didn't bother to look up and Draco didn't move from the door. The silence was getting to be too much and finally it was Draco who broke it.

"Harry…let's take a walk. It's almost time for dinner and I'd like to be alone with you for just a few moments."

"I can't Draco. I've got too many papers to grade. We'll walk after dinner."

He hated how his voice sounded so cold but he really didn't want to be with Draco right now. He still felt ignored and unloved. He would not give into Draco's charms now.

"Harry…I really need to talk with you."

"Then talk."

Silence again filled the air. Harry never once looked up from his papers. It had been months since he sat alone at the faculty table wondering what was wrong with Draco, now he simply didn't care.

Harry heard the door open and then close. Draco had left. Harry got up and went to the door but didn't see Draco anywhere; however he could hear the footsteps fading fast down the corridor and towards the entry way of the castle. He sighed and locked up before making his way to the Great Hall. He took his place and began eating. All of the students were talking and laughing but every now and then one of them would glance at him as if expecting something to happen. He simply ignored them and went back to eating.

It was now December and most of the students had gone home for the Christmas break. The snow was falling from the enchanted ceiling but disappearing before it could connect with any student. Harry didn't look up as the doors opened. McGonagall looked at Harry and whispered to him.

"Harry, please go see what Mr. Malfoy wants. I suspect he'll only tell you."

Harry sighed and stood up. He walked around the table and stopped when he was standing on the last step, Draco was standing a few inches away from him and they just locked eyes. One of the students that was the closest to Draco noticed something and nudged his friends. Soon the whole table had nudged each other and then nudged the other tables until all of them were just staring. Harry didn't really notice this; he just kept his eyes on Draco's.

"Harry…I know I've been a complete jerk here lately…well since the third week of school anyways. I know you've probably started to question whether or not my feelings towards you have changed. I can assure you, there is no way they could ever change for the worse. If anything, they've only gotten stronger."

Draco paused and looked at Harry to see if he was going to say anything. When the former Gryffindor stayed silent he continued.

"I've been trying to plan something…I wanted it to go perfect. I always have such a bad fear that you'll reject me and that scares the hell out of me to be honest. Harry…you saved my life on more than one occasion, sometimes without even realizing it. I was so happy when you agreed to be my boyfriend and I was so content to just stay like that for the rest of our lives…but I've come to realize that…I want more. I want more than just being your boyfriend. I want everyone in the world to know that your mine and mine alone…"

He paused again and took a shaky breath. He knew everyone was staring at them but he also knew if he didn't do this now then it would be a long time before he had the courage to do it again.

"Harry…I was quiet and distant only because I want to give you the best of everything. I'd give you the moon if I could. I'd do anything to see you smile and I want a life with you for many years to come."

The silence that fell over the room was nerve-wracking. Draco felt like he couldn't breathe and his whole body was shaking as he slowly got down on one knee and reached into his robe.

"Harry James Potter…will you do me the greatest honor of all…"

He pulled out a black velvet box that was lined with silver and opened it to reveal the silver ring with emeralds and black onyx in it.

"Will you marry me?"

No one made a sound. No one even dared to breathe. All eyes were on Harry and the tension in the room was like static. It was only a few seconds until he answered but the silence and anticipation made it seem like an eternity.

"Yes"

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at exactly the same time. It was only when Draco slid the ring on Harry's finger and they embraced that the realization hit everyone and the students began cheering while the other teachers clapped. Harry pulled back and wiped the happy tears away from his eyes.

Draco pulled his fiancé into a loving embrace and stroked his cheek gently with his free hand. He smiled and leaned closer to the love of his life. Just before they kissed he whispered softly:

"Merry Christmas Harry"

They kissed and shortly found themselves racing back to their bedroom for some much needed privacy. This was the start of their new lives together, and neither of them could be happier.


End file.
